


Project UNCIA

by zyuna



Category: Code Lyoko, Code Lyoko Evolution, Original Work
Genre: Future, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Not Romance, Original Fiction, Original Universe, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Spin-Off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-01-30 08:33:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12649950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zyuna/pseuds/zyuna
Summary: The Lyoko warriors have long graduated Kadic and gone their separate ways; Odd is now a freshman at a renowned art college. A mysterious girl by the name of Aurelia Caerwyn transfers into his class. Silent but intelligent, she seems to know a lot more than everyone thinks… and is somehow keeping a dangerously close watch on Odd. What secrets might she have and why is Odd her main interest?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set in the future of the same universe where the events of Code Lyoko and CLE took place. This work is more of a spin-off than a sequel, with Odd as the main protagonist. Lyoko/XANA is still a part of this series but not the main focus.  
> My very first fan fiction was in fact, Code Lyoko, involving a female OC (back in 2007!) Since then I've slowly improved, rewritten, and worked on it over the years. I have no clear idea when or if this original fic will be completed, but in the meantime, enjoy my latest version (revamped in 2015).

Oftentimes Odd would reflect on his memories with his best friends from Kadic and spend hours reminiscing about the past. They shared so many bittersweet moments together and endured every possible situation, be it good or bad. Now that three years had passed since their graduation, each of them went their separate ways while keeping in touch via social media. He loved where he was now—Valent College of the Arts—where he _finally_ got to learn something he truly enjoyed, but he missed his friends.

He’d started school two weeks ago after a week of orientation, yet hadn’t made any promising friendships with not one of his classmates. His class wasn’t very big in number—just around twenty students—but most of them knew one another from the same high school or some other way. Majority of them were a fashionable sort so he fitted in snugly appearance-wise, but was still an outcast in terms of social standing. Why didn’t anyone want to befriend him? Even when he tried to approach someone, they’d move away, acting like he wasn’t there or brush him off. A few of the guys teased him about his height and, of course he got annoyed, but apart from that no one really talked to him. Up till now he still couldn’t figure out why.

Like Kadic, all students had to live in dorms, with the exception of those who were locals or had relatives staying nearby the campus. Valent was an international college to begin with and accepted students based on talent or academics, otherwise those with a strong passion for art were also put into consideration and filtered out through an interview. In Odd’s case, his enrolment was successful based purely on talent alone since his grades could barely award him peanuts in the industry.

While he was lucky getting into the school of his choice, bad luck seemed to side him in other areas. Well, he was put into a single dorm with no roommates—that was a first—so there was nobody to worry about in his living quarters. A good and a bad thing; still he didn’t have anyone to talk to after school hours. On the other hand, he wasted no time decorating his new room to suit his tastes. If Ulrich were there, he’d be nagging at him and demand to take down several posters and shift a few things here and there. He chuckled to himself; it was lonely without his best friend and former roommate.

In current time, he was daydreaming at his desk in the first lesson, History of Art. Of all things, _why_ did they still have to learn history after high school? He figured college would be more industry-focused and all the subjects learnt in school like math and science were unnecessary. Conveniently the head teacher assigned him to a window seat in the corner where he could have all the sunshine and scenery others craved for—lucky him. Despite the cheery atmosphere, in reality he was staring at the front of the classroom and fiddling with his pencil though it was the start of the day. _Hurry up already, this has got to be the_ worst _class in this school…_

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and the school headmaster, Mr Mathis, appeared by the corridor. Immediately all students rose from their seats and Odd followed suit, a little flustered. Ms Ingrid, their form tutor, glanced at the class and signalled to sit down. Everyone looked surprised, including Odd, but nonetheless sank back down into their seats and paid attention curiously. Mr Mathis exchanged a word or two with his colleague and after a few nods, both adults walked to the centre of the classroom.

“Students of Class One,” he declared, clearing his throat, “I am pleased to announce that a new student will be joining your class. She is a transfer student from Newbelle in the neighbouring city and has joined Valent due to a lack of vacancy in the latter school. I know this is sudden, but I hope you’ll all welcome her with open arms and help her out so she’d fit in with the rest of you.”

The neatly-dressed middle-aged man beckoned to the door and in walked an unfamiliar figure. Her presence awed the class the second she walked in; even Odd found himself holding his breath. Tall and slim, she carried herself with an air of elegance. Hair the colour of copper flowed behind her like a gentle breeze, brushing across her flawless fair skin. As for her attire, she had this steampunk-sort theme complete with boots and an army green jacket that contrasted her overall behaviour. When she stopped to face her new classmates, the first thing that caught Odd’s attention next were her eyes. At this point of time, he felt as though time had frozen in place.

Those eyes were composed and exuded pure calmness within deep seas of greyish-blue. She looked so poised and silently confident as though nothing could stir her. She didn’t smile or dart her eyes around nervously—all she did was stare ahead with the most serene expression he could think of. Before he could regain his senses, she opened her mouth to speak and, like her appearance, her voice emanated those same qualities.

“Good morning. My name is Aurelia Caerwyn. Nice to meet you.”

 _Damn._ This new girl was too much to handle. He’d just met her for a few seconds and already he’s intrigued. He was still staring even after she spoke; after she bowed slightly and Ms Ingrid directed her to an empty seat, his eyes continued to follow her. It wasn’t just him who was fascinated by her mysterious aura—everyone else watched her in quiet suspense. How could someone make such a big impact so quickly? All she did was walk into a classroom and introduce herself. Could someone like her possibly exist in the world?

The seas of grey-blue were averted from him and secretly he wished for them to turn his direction. As if she could read his mind, her eyes shifted their gaze directly towards him and remained there, even after she sat down at her new seat horizontally across him. Odd’s heart almost leaped out of his chest. She was staring straight at him—just him, and no one else. To be stared at with such a calm expression was unnerving and gave him chills.

And then, when she blinked, he panicked and whipped his head back front. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see her gazing at him, now with a mellower aura. Had she taken a liking to him? If she did, what part of him did she like? He shook his head to clear his flurry of thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to be daydreaming about girls. He made a promise to himself that he’d be more serious in Valent since there was no more Lyoko or XANA or boring subjects to worry about. When the time comes, he’d find the courage to speak to Aurelia. Right now he had to focus—to repent all his mistakes and bad results in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think this is going to be a romance story, it isn't. I would say it's more of a 'forbidden friendship'; you'll find out why as the story progresses.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a while since Aurelia transferred to Valent and it seemed she was more or less settled in to campus life. Following the next few weeks that passed since her arrival, it was obvious that she gained popularity quickly not just for her calm attitude but exceptional talents in all areas. Odd grew increasingly annoyed at this, since he was considered one of the best students in his class—the _top,_ in fact—and to have this newbie steal the limelight away from him didn’t make him too happy. He didn’t hate her, of course, only a little saddened that he had competition to look out for. He knew this wasn’t a contest to show off one’s skills but couldn’t resist wanting to maintain his position as top student. If he was the worst student in Kadic, why couldn’t he be the best in Valent?

On the other hand, he found it rather ironic that while he genuinely had the best overall grades in school so far and enrolled at the same time as everyone else, nobody paid much attention to him and instead was more interested in Aurelia, who came in later and had less time to accustom herself to Valent. He simply couldn’t think why someone wouldn’t want to befriend him; not even _one_ person. Speaking of which, he thought Aurelia had a thing for him the first day they met, but up till now she hadn’t come close to him at all. Even when her group of fans tailed her everywhere and asked her all sorts of questions, she brushed them off saying ‘maybe next time, I’m busy at the moment’ or ‘sorry, I’m already helping someone else’. All Odd could do was watch the hubbub occur live before his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

When she _was_ alone, though, he realised that she was always nearby and not too close to him. Once he was in the library studying for a test and noticed her sitting upstairs, reading something. He didn’t let that concern him at first but as time went by, this behaviour soon became a pattern and be started to doubt himself. He wondered why he never approached her like he usually would and ask if she wanted to study together or something. Perhaps he got the impression she liked being alone and respected that decision. Why was she always near him, though? She seemed to be the follower and not the one being followed, the more he thought of it. Did this mean she looked up to him in some way after all?

It was a little creepy, to be honest. To have someone follow you around wherever you went was a bit strange, to say the least. Now he understood how Aurelia felt having her mindless fans swarm her like parasites; it was no wonder she liked being alone. Odd stared at his blank worksheet as he sat at his desk in his dorm. He was swiftly loosing focus thinking about other problems instead of his work. All this was because of Aurelia—he couldn’t get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried.

His train of thought was disturbed by a knock at the window. Startled, he looked up and screamed, falling back from his chair. Flustered, he scrambled back to his table and glared outside.

“What the heck, you moron! What are you doing outside my window?” he barked, unlatching one side of the double-hinged panes. Directly outside his room was Aurelia, sitting on a tree branch. How she managed to get there, he did not know. Neither did he have any clue as to why she suddenly showed up before his eyes in the most unpredictable fashion. It was Saturday so there was no school and she was dressed in more casual clothes.

“I came to pay you a visit. I do, after all, have my room directly above yours, if you didn’t know.”

Odd was more confused than angry and didn’t know what to make of the situation. He deepened his frown and heaved an exasperated sigh. “Well, is climbing through someone’s window than their door a normal way of paying a visit?”

She contemplated a moment but otherwise kept her default expression. This girl was unbelievable. “Are you letting me in or not?”

He pulled a face and eyed her suspiciously. “Why are you talking to me, anyway? No one in class ever talks to me. I try to be myself and instead everyone ignores me.”

She blinked and then looked away. “You’re the only person who doesn’t bug me like a pest or worship me like a god. To me, you are normal.”

What?

He couldn’t believe his ears. After blinking several times, he let out a nervous laugh. “Wow… that’s a first. Nobody’s called me ‘normal’ before. I’m always the weird kid and that’s why I’m Odd.”

He figured that’d make her laugh but she didn’t. All she did was gaze at him with her typical serenity, still sitting on the branch. “I mean what I say,” she eventually said. Afterwards, she changed her tone of voice to sound more prompt. “So are you letting me in or not?”

“Ah… right. It’s awkward seeing you on a tree outside my room.”

The remaining pane was unlocked and he pushed open the windows for her to enter. At first he held out his hand to offer help, but she jumped inside and landed gracefully like a cat. Stunned, he glanced at the tree and back, puzzled as to how she managed to leap a huge gap from a skinny branch without plunging to her death down below. She took a while to observe his room, examining his posters and taking note of each detail. He stood there and stared at her, unsure of what to say. This definitely wasn’t a situation he expected.

“Uh, I’ve always wanted to ask you something,” he began, sounding hesitant. Aurelia hummed but didn’t look at him. Why was he so tentative now? He never had this problem when talking to someone before. “You… you’ve been following me, haven’t you? I don’t know why you do, but I know it’s you.”

Odd figured he caught a sliver of shock in her eyes. It was very slight so it could just be his imagination. She turned her head to face him. “What makes you think that?”

He pursed his lips. “How should I know? I could be paranoid or it could simply be a coincidence. You seem to be there when I’m there. Like that one time I went to the café by the south block to get some caffeine and you were there hanging out at the garden nearby. No one else from our class goes to that café or garden except me. At that moment I realised you were actually _following_ me.”

Grey-blue eyes judged him silently. “Hmm. Interesting theory.”

“ _Theory?_ I don’t mean it as a theory, I mean is as the truth! Otherwise what other reason do you have for being around me?” When there was no response he narrowed his eyes. “I know: you’re trying to be indirect, aren’t you? Don’t think I don’t know what tricks you have up your sleeve. You’ve been tailing me all this while because you like me, don’t you?”

Immediately he found himself slammed down to the floor and a hand gripped around his neck with brute strength. Gagging, he glanced up to see the usually calm Aurelia glowering at him with burning hatred. Gosh, she was strong all right! Instantly he took back his words and begged her to release him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was joking! Can’t breathe—let me go…”

Those eyes narrowed to slits and she grunted before loosening her grip around him. Relieved, he took a deep breath and lay there, feeling the pain round his neck slowly ebb away. As he caught his breath, she stood up and stormed back to the window, climbing out and returning to the tree. Alarmed, he rolled himself over and craned his already pained neck at her.

“Wait! Where are you going?” he gasped. She didn’t even glance behind at him. “I said it was a joke! I didn’t mean it!”

It was too late—she was already making her way up the branches and disappearing from sight. In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence he cried out, “Aurelia!” but to no avail. With that she was gone, leaving him sprawled on the floor by himself. He couldn’t believe what just happened. That was the perfect moment to befriend her and he ruined it by saying something stupid without thinking twice. Anguished, he balled a fist and slammed it onto the floor. Everything he did was wrong, wasn’t it?

*

Since that day onwards, Odd hadn’t caught sight of Aurelia apart from during class. Each time a lesson ended, she’d be the first to vanish from the classroom. In between classes and during breaks, he no longer saw her lingering nearby either. The guilt that accumulated within him only grew each day. She completely avoided him for a whole month and he was quick to lose hope about mending the fault in their friendship. He stopped trying to gain attention and adopted a more silent demeanour, barely speaking in class. There was no one to talk to, anyway. Aurelia was seated across him so he couldn’t pass notes or signal something without getting caught; also it wasn’t like she was interested in him, so sending text messages was out of the question too. Admittedly she was splendid in her work and her artistic ability was undeniable—ultimately he willingly gave up his title as top student and was demoted to second place. As long as he remained in the top three, he couldn’t afford to back down any further.

One particular day it was especially hot and he was given a lot more homework than usual. Apart from that, nothing was out of the ordinary. Blazing weather and piles of assignments for the coming term break didn’t turn up the frown on his face. He was about ready to give up and revert to his old self, procrastinating and slacking off from school. Trudging back to his dorm, he dragged his feet up the stairs while scrolling through his phone, cold drink in the other hand. And then his phone vibrated and an icon popped up on his screen, notifying a new text. He blinked a moment; he hardly received texts. Curious, he opened up the mail and looked at its contents—only to widen his eyes and freeze in his tracks.

XANA.

Undoubtedly. The only content of the mail was an image of the daunting Eye of XANA. Now in panic mode, Odd checked the name of the sender. Crap! _Anonymous._ If Jeremie were here, he’d probably know a way to solve this dilemma. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening—Lyoko wasn’t under attack again, was it? Was this all a joke or possibly a nightmare? Quickly he pinched himself and yelped in pain. Nope, wasn’t dreaming—this was real.

He wasn’t thinking straight anymore. All that was on his mind was ‘warn the others, warn the others’ as he flew up the stairs and rushed to his room. While running he searched for Jeremie’s contact and dialled the number, praying that he’d answer swiftly. After several beeps the receiver responded in surprise, “Odd? What’s with the sudden phone call? I’m in the middle of—”

“Jeremie! I have no time to explain!” he cried. “XANA! XANA is—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a hard object struck him from behind his head and he blacked out instantly. His mobile dropped out of his hand upon impact and Jeremie, on the other line, was now alarmed.

“Odd? Odd, what happened? Odd! Answer me!”

His fervent cries fell on deaf ears as the phone was dumped into Odd’s room and abandoned. The assaulted teen was then dragged away to somewhere unknown, by an unknown attacker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-dun! Chaos unfolds... Onward to the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Odd wasn’t aware how long he was out for. All he knew was at the present moment, he was brusquely awoken from a hard impact onto the ground. That was one way to rouse a fainted person, it seemed. He shook his head violently and blinked to make out his surroundings. To his utmost shock, he immediately knew where he was. What he couldn’t understand was how he got there and why. Was this another dream? He looked around for any signs of life. Nothing—he was alone on this barren land without his friends to support him. If this really was a dream, it felt more like a nightmare.

He looked down at himself. Still the same as he would appear to be. Doing a swift quality control check ensured him everything was in working condition. Now, he couldn’t be completely safe, could he? Where was everyone? There was no welcoming committee at his unannounced arrival, either.

A low growl from a distance startled him. He spoke too soon; there wasn’t time to be wondering if this was real or not. He jumped to his feet and faced his opponent without fear. What he spotted in the distance completely stunned him—a fox-like creature, with fur as white as snow yet with the body of a feline, gazed at him with piercing golden eyes. It was at least twice his size and stared him down in a stance poised for battle. It was almost as though he recognised this aura emanating from the creature—no, it couldn’t be. Right now he regarded the creature to be some form of new and improved monster created by XANA and dived straight into battle mode.

“I don’t know who you are, but there can only be _one_ cat on Lyoko and that’s me!” he yowled and charged straight towards the animal. To his surprise, it vanished into white smoke and struck him with a direct blow to the abdomen, reappearing behind him. This was unfair! The intruder clearly wasn’t giving him an easy time. He leaped back to his feet and fired several shots of Laser Arrows, only to miss every one of them. How was this possible? The mysterious creature evaded all his attacks!

It reappeared diagonally across, as though waiting for him to make his next move. He struggled to keep up while figuring out its weaknesses. It was insanely fast and seemed to be able to predict his next move. Was this a game to humiliate him or perhaps a test? Consequently they played a game of dodgeball, only with weapons instead. The creature’s only attack appeared to be some kind of ice blast fired from its mouth and could change its shape and size. One moment it could be a single icy beam, or an array of icicle spears next, maybe even a barrage of ice bullets… the possibilities were endless. Odd was running around darting behind rocks like a ninja, acquiring grazes along the way. This was bad—one more strike and he’d be devirtualised. As the last resort, he hid behind a boulder and decided to surrender.

“Okay, okay, you win! I know I can’t defeat you, whatever piece of sorcery you might be! Just leave me alone already; one more hit and I’m a goner. I don’t even know how I ended up here or why.”

Giving himself up to XANA was probably the worst and stupidest decision at the back of his mind but given the circumstances, he had no choice. His future was now up to a quantum supercomputer gone berserk. Thinking that the creature would fire at him again, he braced himself for impact. After five seconds nothing happened and slowly he peeked out from his hiding spot. Why wasn’t he back in a scanner yet? This _was_ real, wasn’t it?

The fox-like animal was heading towards him at a quick pace despite walking. _This was it,_ he thought. His opponent was closing in yet remained calm as ever; it stopped walking once it was a metre or two away from him. The frightened teen was pressing himself into the boulder as if it could swallow him any moment. A large paw was raised and he squeezed his eyes shut—what a pleasant nightmare this was. And then something soft placed itself on his head and he opened his eyes in shock.

“You passed.”

Wait— _what?_ Who said that?

“A little clumsy, but I went easy on you. I wasn’t wrong about you after all.”

This voice—no way. Odd glanced up sharply to stare into his opponent’s golden eyes. “Impossible…” he whispered. “I know you, don’t I? You’re… not one of XANA’s creations, right?”

Golden eyes gazed back at him. “Do I have XANA’s trademark symbol anywhere on me?”

That wasn’t a question to be answered. It was obvious from the start this creature didn’t have any trace of XANA to begin with, and he overlooked that fact. What baffled him was the form this entity was in. “I don’t understand. As crazy as this sounds, you… you’re Aurelia, aren’t you? Were you the one who brought me here?”

The creature grunted. “Took you long enough to figure that out. I’m sorry, Odd, but I can’t explain things right now. We can’t go back to Valent until a while later—I’m just starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. You’re coming with me no matter what you say.”

“Now, hold on—”

Suddenly his wrists were seized by a pair of ice-cold handcuffs that mysteriously locked themselves onto him. He took one look at them and glared at his assailant. “Hey! You don’t need to cuff me—what wrong have I done to you?”

Aurelia in fox form now turned her back against him. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” she murmured. “Trust me and you’ll find out the truth soon. Bear with this for a while; I’ll release you when the time is right.”

Was she serious about this? As though his feet had a mind of its own, they started walking in the same direction she was going. He wasn’t in control of his own movements and was being manipulated by some invisible force. If Aurelia was the one responsible for all that’s occurred so far, he wasn’t sure what to think of her anymore. How did she even find out about the existence of Lyoko and XANA in the first place? How did she know that _he_ knew about Lyoko?

Exasperated, he tried to get her attention despite having a white furry back against him. “Aurelia,” he called, but she ignored him. “At least tell me where we’re going.” They were in the Mountain Sector and her white fur contrasted the surroundings. It appeared they were heading towards a Tower north-east of where they were. Dissatisfied with the silence between them, he spoke once more.

“Come on, don’t just ignore me like this! You haven’t come close to me in more than a month and suddenly I end up here with you, held hostage like a wanted criminal. Do you expect me to simply go with the flow and obey whatever you say?”

Golden-eyed Aurelia glanced behind her shoulder and scoffed; if not kept her focus forwards. A girl with attitude, huh? Odd reached his boiling point and demanded a response, sounding hoity-toity. “Fine, then—don’t talk to me. I’ll have you warned that I’ve already contacted one of my friends regarding this mess you concocted so they should be on their way to find me now.” He paused and then gasped. “Wait a minute—don’t tell me it was _you_ who sent me that anon text about XANA?”

His persistence seemed to humiliate her as she scowled and replied curtly, “That was merely a test. I needed to make sure you were the right person and undoubtedly, you were.”

The blonde teen shook his head. “I can’t believe I fell for it; you sound like a spy. Are you?”

At this instant she halted abruptly and miraculously morphed into a humanoid entity, whipping around and gripping him by the neck. Astounded, he gagged and flailed his legs as they dangled off the ground. “Listen, smartass: I already told you I’d explain everything later. Believe me when I say I don’t mean you any harm. But if you choose to retaliate and make things difficult for me, I have no choice but to restrain you. I have an important task to complete and after that’s done, I promise to let you go. Until then, all of your movements will be restricted by me. Are we clear?”

Piercing gold eyes glared right into frightened hazel ones, her stare like daggers through his skin. He swore his heart was beating like pelting rain from intense fear. She could be totally calm one moment and menacing the next. The aura she radiated was strong enough to send a clear signal of authority and that she was not one to mess with. Her glare was a demand, not a threat—Odd knew that. Frantically he nodded and meekly tried to pry away her grasp round his neck.

After contemplating his reaction, she released him and watched as he regained his composure, getting back on his feet with difficulty. Pitiful eyes stared at her with the most sorrowful expression. “I understand. Really, I do. I’ll be a good boy and stick close to you from now on. Please don’t try to kill me.”

At this point of time he found it best not to ask anything and just obey her orders. He still didn’t know if she could be trusted but all he could afford to do now was to have hope. His assailant stared at him, as though contemplating, before whipping back front and continuing to walk forwards. The invisible force of manipulation seemed to have dissipated as he regained control of his own movements. They trekked in silence afterwards, Odd pursing his lips shut for as long as possible. Even _he_ had limits—it was wiser not to jump into chatterbox mode with someone like her around. He feared what could happen if she reached her optimum anger point; losing a few limbs or left half-dead was what he pictured frightfully at the back of his mind.

It wasn’t long before they banked a corner and a deactivated Tower was within sight. He glanced up, wondering what she might want to do there. To his surprise, she walked right past the looming structure and instead stopped behind it where nothing but a wall cocooned the area. Now he became more curious than afraid; what could she be thinking?

A sway of copper brown hair revealed an expression on Aurelia’s face he did not expect. She looked almost smug, eyes narrowing slightly in—what—glee? Her lips were pressed close together as though to form the beginning of a smirk. What part of this situation was worth smiling about?

“You’re wondering why we’re here, no? I led you straight to a dead end, and sadly, it isn’t the Tower that’s the destination. I’m sure you’re itching to find out the reason,” she pointed out matter-of-factly. There was no tease in her voice or any hint of mockery. That probably meant she was being serious… or simply a marvel at masking her true emotions.

The teen twisted his mouth in uncertainty, finding the right words to say. Eventually he shrugged and tried his best to respond calmly. “Aren’t I in no position to answer any of your questions? I am, after all, your _victim._ I willingly obeyed you.”

A sliver of surprise from her expression caught his eye. Nevertheless she remained poised and her preceding gleeful demeanour dissolute. An unreadable emotion now marked her face.

“You know,” she began quietly, nearly like a confession, “you’re more intelligent than you look.”

Was that said out of respect or more possibly in disdain? Anyhow, it was an unusual thing to say to someone like Odd. Golden eyes seemed to beckon him towards her as she gradually stepped backwards into the wall. Unconscientiously he found himself drawn to her gaze and he realised too late that his feet were already in pursuit of her. No way; she was leading him headfirst into a solid wall. It wasn’t a Tower, so he couldn’t just slip past and enter it like—

“Whoa!”

Reality burst his dream bubble when he suddenly found himself in some kind of portal or sci-fi looking tunnel. All around him was annulled of anything—just black and more black; even the ground seemed to vanish and was also black like everything else! He appeared to be within the interior of a bizarre helix that spanned several metres across, neon rings of changing colours looping in a cycle, being the sole light source of this dark void. Never before had he seen or heard of this phenomenon in Lyoko but whatever it was, it was eerily beautiful.

“Is this a portal?” he couldn’t resist asking.

His assailant blinked at him. “I guess you could call it that. We’re not done yet—move along.”

She wasted not a second to proceed forwards. All he did was follow her as she casually walked to the end of the neon helix and disappeared in a similar fashion to entering a Tower. He expected to see another helix structure but was instead taken aback by something beyond his imagination.

Lush greenery and sounds of vibrant fauna echoed around him. To his right he could hear the trickling of what appeared to be a freshwater stream gently meandering across smooth mossy rocks below. Everything was so rich and energetic like it was alive and breathing; so surreal that it couldn’t possibly be virtual.

“This isn’t Lyoko, is it?” he asked, a little hesitant. Disbelief and awe was evident in his tone.

“No, it isn’t.”

 _I knew it._ Lyoko didn’t give off the vibes of this sort; this realm radiated a strong will to live like all its inhabitants screamed ‘I’m alive’. Could this be Earth, then? Was that why the sights and sounds seemed so familiar?

“This isn’t Earth, either.”

Odd was stumped. Then what? His mind went completely blank at this point. Aurelia took a few steps forwards and looked over her shoulder. “Take a good look at yourself. Try fiddling with things you’re used to and see what happens.”

More baffled, he glanced down and gasped. He looked exactly like his avatar in Lyoko—suit and all. Glimpsing behind, he noticed he still had his cat tail and it moved independently. Curious, he tried out his weapons and instantly his gloves materialised at will. What _was_ different was that he had normal five digits instead of four, and his get-up was much more realistic. His tail resembled fur of some sort and even _felt_ soft—it wasn’t like that initially.

“So am I a spectre?”

The brunette approached him and swiftly swung a leg underneath, making him fall ungracefully on the ground. He groaned as throbbing pain dominated the back of his head and tailbone. Some sort of response that was!

“The heck was _that_ for?” he hissed, resisting to add ‘bitch’. It was too much of a gamble.

All she did was watch as he struggled to get back on his feet. “If you were a spectre, you shouldn’t have felt any pain when you fell.”

The blonde scoffed and briskly dusted himself off. Afterwards, he frowned and peered closely at her. “Hey, your eyes are back to normal. I mean, they’re not golden—they’re like how they were originally.”

She flinched slightly at the comment. “So what?”

“Huh? I was just making a statement. No hidden agenda behind that. Why were they coloured gold in Lyoko, anyway?”

A brusque click of the tongue took him aback as she whipped around to avert herself. “Seems like you can’t keep your mouth shut after all. So much for promising to be a ‘good boy’.”

That was it—he had had enough. Crossing his arms, he furrowed his brows and pulled the angriest expression he could think of. “You know what? I’m tired of playing the waiting game. I’ve been nice to you all this while up to this point, but my patience’s worn out. Are you going to tell me what’s really going on or not?”

Despite being raged at, she remained still for a few moments before letting out a sigh. “Just three things you need to remember. One: we are on a planet called Peraryl, similar to Earth but void of humans. Two: you are an important asset to me for various reasons I must withhold for the time being. Three: stay close to me at all times or huge trouble would come brewing for both of us.”

He was still scowling after she listed down rules for him. In fact, his frown deepened as if it wasn’t serious enough. _Peraryl? Important asset? Me?_ Hundreds of questions flooded his mind and raised his suspicions. Right from the start, she had a peculiar use of diction and a mysterious accent to pair with. Something about her was clearly surreal but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. From what she said, it sounded as though her quest was no walk in the park. If he was part of this quest and valuable enough to cause trouble if separated from her, then didn’t that mean he was roped in to an inescapable life-or-death situation?

Again his mouth twisted into all sorts of contortions, struggling to marshal his thoughts. Ultimately he settled with easing up his nerves and took a long breath. “How do I know I can trust you?” he asked quietly.

Stunning grey-blue eyes gazed at him as though trying to entrance. “You just have to. I’m your only saving grace if you want to return home in one piece. I will protect you at all costs.”

Odd had to shut his eyes. _First she beats me up and then kidnaps me and now she says she’ll protect me. I don’t get the logic of all this._ With a shake of his head he muttered, “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”

Her white fluffy tail flicked and foxy ears twitched. “You don’t need to.”

 _But I_ want _to._ Some part of him deep down itched to learn more about her. No one had seemed so intriguing and complex like her. She was… different. As intimidating as she was, he believed she had good reasons for whatever she’s doing and took calculated measures with utmost precision. He scoffed under his breath. What was he thinking? Being captured like this and confessed by her kidnapper that she’d protect him… something wasn’t right.

Brown hair was already walking away from him. Alarmed, he hurried after her but in an awkward fashion having his hands bound together. “Hey! Wait up!”

As usual, she did not pay any attention to him. In desperation he scurried forwards to try and block her way. Taken aback, she halted abruptly with a scowl. “You’re right. There’s nothing else I can do. You seem like you know what you’re doing, so I guess it wouldn’t be too bad.”

Eyes glared like daggers at him, judging him silently.

He put his acting skills to good use and feigned a pitiful expression. “I won’t run away. I’d probably get myself lost anyway. So, please… you can remove these cuffs.” He held out his wrists to her meekly as though an animal begging for food. _Surely she can’t resist this puppy face, can she?_ Aurelia continued to eye him, and then clicked her tongue and waved a hand over the tool. The ice-cold cuffs vanished gradually and Odd wriggled his wrists in relief. He flashed a grateful smile but she turned him away coldly and resumed walking.

“Don’t make faces like that. It’s childish.”

A frown fell on his face. “Eh? You don’t like it?”

Her mouth opened then closed tight as if second-guessing what to say. “I was joking.” Silence followed and she decided to break it by changing the subject. “We walk from here. It will take about a day and a half to reach the first pit stop. Otherwise, the only breaks we can take are to rest.”

A thought had been bugging his mind for quite a while now. As she walked he trailed behind but couldn’t contain his curiosity. “I’m sure you already know this, but I’m not the type of person who can keep quiet for long periods of time. I’m sorry that I keep talking but it’s just because you refuse to tell me anything. At least explain why you kidnapped _me_ and not anyone else. I admit I’m not the strongest or brightest—everything I do is reckless and crazy. How can I be valuable to you?”

White tail flicked in contemplation. She didn’t snap at him but instead seemed to falter, tension edging her voice. “That… let’s just say you’re the most interesting out of all the candidates.” He cocked his head inquisitively and she added quickly, “I am merely doing what I was assigned to. There’s nothing personal behind my actions.”

Assigned? Could that mean she was working for someone? On the other hand, he couldn’t help but scoff internally at her last sentence. Aside from that, neither of them spoke afterwards—he decided it was pointless bombarding her with interrogations because he’d end up getting more questions than answers. Silently he followed her every step of the way, making use of the opportunity to observe his new environment. Currently there were in a forested area with the setting like a fantasy world from a children’s book; something like a realistic ‘Alice in Wonderland’. He didn’t encounter any native creature thus far but assumed they were smartly camouflaged within the canopy. What could they look like? How different were Perarylian creatures compared to Earth’s species?

That being said… was Aurelia even human? It was an insane thought, but the possibility couldn’t be ruled out. She clearly knew a lot about Peraryl and had superhuman strength in comparison to her size. For all he knew, she could be an extra-terrestrial being disguised as a human—he barely knew anything about her background, in any case. Despite the quaintness of it all he found it rather thrilling to befriend a celestial creature, if she _was_ one, for that matter. In spite of his wild imagination, a burning question suddenly popped into his mind and he broke the silence at last.

“Hey, so if I’m not a spectre or human, then what am I? This whole Lyoko-avatar-human-not-human thing is really tripping me out.”

The brunette swivelled her head round to frown at him. It appeared she’d given in to his bubbly attitude but her default stare was still unnerving. “To explain the process definitively would be too exhaustive so I’ll summarise it for you. Basically your genetic makeup is modified to suit the planet’s environment based on existing DNA data from your Lyoko avatar and natural human features. In short, you’re the equivalent of a native being of Peraryl should you be born here.”

He only understood the final part and contemplated in wonder. “Awesome.”

She continued to lead him further down a mossy bank, nimbly leaping from rock to rock across a wide stream. They continued to trek a while longer before reaching a quiet area along the same long stream. Low branches from a gnarled tree twisted together to form a natural roof with ample space for about two people. Aurelia scanned the surroundings to pinpoint potential threats, before blinking and averted herself from the current of the stream.

“We’ll rest here for now. Don’t go anywhere while I’m gone.”

Taken aback, Odd cried, “What? Where are you going?”

A flash of grey-blue warned him not to disobey her. “Catching us some food. It’s possible to get hungry here, you know. After all, this isn’t Lyoko and neither are you a spectre.”

Without a second to spare, she vanished behind the thicket and left him alone. So what; that was it? She was just going to leave him there to fend for himself? Who knows what sort of danger might be lurking in this unfamiliar land? _I really don’t get her._ He shook his head and given no choice but to wait, crawled under the branched roof and flopped himself onto the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peraryl (pronounced as 'pe-reh-ril') is an original Earth-like planet. I made up the name Peraryl from the word 'peril', meaning danger, threat, uncertainty, etc.


	4. Chapter 4

When Aurelia returned, it wasn’t a grand entrance or abrupt invitation. Apparently Odd had dozed off a little and was roused from the gradually pungent smell of something… salty. He wrinkled his nose in dismay and drowsily blinked open his eyes. The stench was familiar yet had an otherworldly vibe to it—hold on—he knew what it was now.

Annoyed, he poked his head out from under the brush and slowly wriggled his way into the open. Sure enough, the brunette had arrived back and with her were her bargains during her twenty minute or so absence. How she acquired them; he did not want to know. She caught sight of his scowling expression and shot back with a frown of her own.

“What? Are you unhappy with this quantity?”

He glared at her and she flicked an ear in curiosity. “No? Don’t you like fish?”

The blonde groaned and rolled his eyes so far back it looked almost sarcastic. To his surprise, she chuckled and had to mask her smug grin. “A cat who dislikes fish? That’s strange. You’re odd indeed.”

Considering that was probably a pun, he pulled another sour face and eyed the scaly creatures uneasily. Sighing, she knelt down and tossed a few of the bait towards him, to which he reacted by screeching and clumsily slapping them away. How dare she throw slimy fishies at him! His disgust quickly dissipated when suddenly he found himself grabbed by the neck and faced with angry eyes burning a hole through him.

“Look here, smartass—at least appreciate the fact that I bother about your well-being. Food here isn’t a buffet; you have to make do with what you have even if you don’t like it. Now, unless you prefer dead rodents I suggest you _eat_ something or I’ll have to stuff this down your throat.”

Gagging, he tried his best to nod and she released him with a grunt. It seemed that she took even the slightest mishaps seriously. Still reluctant about the scaly creatures, he prodded at them meekly before looking up at her with helpless eyes. She rolled her eyes in response, but otherwise said nothing. Snatching them up expertly, Aurelia cleaned all the scales off the fish and cleanly sliced off the heads and tails. As if watching a master butcher, he watched in awe as she carefully filleted the fish and tossed the remnants aside. Once she was done, she placed the raw fillets on a smooth rock and pushed it towards him. All he did was to continue gawking, unsure on how to react.

“How did you..?” he began, but stopped himself when he noticed the long, curved nails on her fingers. They seemed like ordinary fragile human nails but there was no doubt those same nails managed to slice through flesh like a scalpel. Maybe nails worked differently in Peraryl—anyhow, he shook that thought aside and graciously accepted the meat served for him.

“Um… thanks,” he said with some hesitation, glancing at her anxiously. Grey-blue eyes gazed at him momentarily before averting to face her own share of meat. Odd watched her for a while, pondering about how emotionally detached she was from others. Already she proved to him that she had some level of empathy but otherwise maintained a boundary of personal space so large he wasn’t sure if it was possible to earn her trust and respect. He looked down at his food and regarded the meat sceptically. He was never a big fan of fish to begin with, but since she took the trouble to find, catch and prepare them for him, he had no choice but to respect her efforts.

Picking up a piece of fillet, he bit off half of its translucent, pinkish-white flesh and squeezed his eyes shut. While he expected himself to puke within the next few seconds, much to his surprise the taste was light and naturally flavourful, leaving a slight nutty aftertaste. There wasn’t anything fishy or salty about it at all—it was just the smell that deceived him. He had to admit it was probably the best-tasting fish he’d ever eaten as he quickly foxed down the remaining pieces. Satisfied, he licked his lips and looked over at his companion. She had her back towards him as she appeared to be motioning that she was still eating. Why did she have to hide when eating? He really couldn’t understand her.

As they sat in the silence, he decided to initiate a conversation. Warily, of course.

“You’re probably gonna strangle me for this, but I do have more questions to ask.”

With a start, she looked up and frowned. Otherwise, said nothing.

“How did you find out about Lyoko? And XANA?”

She contemplated a moment, then looked away. “No comment.”

Odd wasn’t surprised by her reply. He had expected her to keep her mouth shut. Nonetheless, he still asked anyway just to see her response. Then he prompted, “What about my friends? Are they in trouble?”

It was a simple answer. “No.”

He raised a brow. “Then what about Jeremie? I did contact him shortly after receiving your anon text. And you knocked me out before I could explain anything.”

She shut her eyes. “That has been taken care of. Do not worry too much.”

“The heck is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“I mean what I said: it’s been taken care of. He will be fine.”

He sat back and thought about what she said. Of course he wanted to argue, to demand a proper explanation, but there was no point at the moment. She _did_ make sure he was safe and taken care of. Wasn’t that what mattered most? Then a certain question bugged his mind. She probably wouldn’t answer, but there was no harm asking.

“You said this planet we’re in… Peraryl.” He folded his arms. “Do you live here?”

They held a long stare. Her eyes were ever unmoving, as if challenging his gaze. It was difficult to read her emotions. Odd tried his best to pinpoint the slightest of changes, yet still struggled. Aurelia blinked and broke their gaze. “Think of it as you will. I won’t confirm or deny anything.”

And then she stood up and dusted herself. “Anyway. Seeing as you’re done with your meal, we should get going. Don’t stray away from me.”

She already began to clean up a little and prepared to move off. He continued to sit a while longer, marshalling his thoughts. He, too, stood up eventually and trekked silently behind her.

*

This cycle of walking, eating, resting continued for what felt like days. Throughout the time he asked several new questions, only some of which she chose to answer. How long were they going to be away? Probably a long time in Perarylian terms, but at most a week or two in Earth terms. There she reminded him it wasn’t just him who would’ve disappeared into thin air from school—they vanished together. Yet she assured him everything was taken care of.

In this span of time, Odd did his best to observe and understand this strange girl. She was aloof, insanely strong, had extreme temper tantrums, but displayed some sense of sympathy and care. It was more like honour: she was a dutiful soldier guarding her loot. In this case, he was her loot. She went so far as to put herself in unnecessary situations in her quest to ‘protect him’. He wasn’t used to being this guarded. Once it was raining heavily, and she sat by the entrance of the little cavern they found just so he was extra sheltered from the weather. Naturally that meant she was at the full mercy of the storm—he tried to discourage her from her ‘guard post’ but she was maddeningly headstrong and didn’t budge. So he resorted to desperate measures and her response threw him off a little.

He’d pretended to be cold and hugged his knees tightly, hoping she’d get the message. It wasn’t long before she turned her head round to face him, frowning slightly.

“You’re that deep in there and you’re still cold? This weather really must be affecting you badly.”

What sort of response was that? He couldn’t help but scowl. Nevertheless he continued his act.

“Mmm. Maybe. Speaking of cold, don’t you feel cold? Just looking at you makes me shiver.”

The brunette paused for a moment. She averted her gaze and resumed staring out into the rain. “I’m used to weather like this. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Yeah, like sitting there, getting drenched by a thunderstorm was a norm. He heaved a sigh.

“Aurelia,” he began, sounding almost tired. “You really don’t have to go this far, you know. I appreciate that you’re doing your best to keep me out of harm’s way, but I can look out for myself, too.”

It was a while before she replied. “If anything happens to you while we’re en route, I will be held responsible. We wouldn’t want you sick or injured.” Then she shut her eyes and murmured, “Just let me do my job.”

The blonde lay his cheek on a knee. “What about you? What if you got sick, or injured?”

“I won’t,” she responded almost immediately. Her tone was firm. “I was trained for this.”

 _Trained?_ Just as he was going to question what she meant, she added, “Even if I do get sick or injured, what’s important is that you are in top condition. My well-being is second only to yours.”

“I’m honoured,” he muttered back. It was meant to be slight sarcasm but he sounded sincere.

He decided not to press further and gave in yet again. Maybe once they’ve reached wherever they were supposed to go, he would set her straight. For now, they remained in the silence of nature thundering in their ears. The roaring of rain soon turned rhythmic and almost hypnotising; he nodded off before he even noticed.

 

“Odd.”

Something was nudging his shoulder. Gentle at first, but started to get more firm.

“Wake up. We’ve got to get moving.”

He groaned and rolled over, rubbing his eyes. Here began another monotonous cycle of the day. He didn’t expect much as they continued walking through the meandering forests, but he did notice it gradually got colder the further they progressed. Soon a looming silhouette peeked in the distance, revealing an impressive structure sat midway on a mountain. It had the uncanny resemblance of an ancient castle but perhaps he was just imagining things. A castle, in an alien world? He _still_ hadn’t seen any indigenous lifeforms on this planet. Were they all in hiding? Was that really a castle or some feat of nature?

“Our destination is within hindsight,” Aurelia suddenly declared. She nodded to the ‘castle’.

Odd gawked. “We’re going all the way up _there?_ ”

The brunette merely shrugged off his surprise. “You’ve made it all the way here barely breaking a sweat. Travelling a while longer shouldn’t be a problem.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I won’t be surprised if what you mean by ‘a while longer’ is another few days.”

“Maybe at the most one more day,” she remarked. “Though I must warn you: things would get tougher from now on. It is paramount that you keep close to me at all times.”

Unsurprisingly, Odd let her words slip out another ear. So when they resumed their never-ending journey, Aurelia had to save him multiple times. Falling rocks, unstable ground, avalanche—if she hadn’t been there, he definitely would’ve been dead. She threatened to cuff him to her if he still fooled around and only then he stuck to her heels like a frightened puppy.

They reached the eerily beautiful entrance to the strange monument by late nightfall, albeit with light snow. Odd wasn’t sure what to be more amazed by—the fact that he was still relatively warm, or that their destination was indeed a building of some sort. And it was _huge._ He had to crane his neck to see the top, which was high enough to brush the clouds above. This time, when he questioned Aurelia, she answered willingly.

“Are we here?” he asked, warily.

“Yes. No more days of walking in the forest.”

As they ascended the steep steps towards the entrance, she turned to reassure him. “All your questions would be answered once we are inside.”

Judging from what she said, it was implied they had to be meeting someone. Now Odd started to get nervous. He didn’t know what to expect or how he should behave. Finally they were at the gates but no one was in sight. Yet it seemed someone was watching. Aurelia looked up at a specific direction and made some kind of gesture. Was it a type of sign language? Did the beings of this world communicate non-verbally and somehow couldn’t be seen by normal human eyes? All these thoughts were left aside as the gates creaked open in a loud, low groan, its eerie sound echoing in the atmosphere.

The brunette nodded to him and they entered the premises, walking along a long corridor. The main door to the building clicked open automatically when they neared it. Once they were inside, the door shut close and they were met with three entities standing before them. Aurelia was first to react, bowing slightly in their presence, while Odd was too stunned to move.

“Welcome back, Aria,” greeted the middle entity, which resembled a humanoid puma. Its voice sounded feminine and angelic, yet calm and controlled. “We have anticipated your return.”

Her (as Odd assumed was female) gaze shifted to the purple-suited blonde and she smiled warmly. “It appears you have brought him as we instructed. Welcome to Peraryl, Odd Della Robbia.”

Odd was still bewildered at the whole situation and took a moment to respond. These strange creatures knew who he was? What’s more, they spoke a language he understood. Aurelia nudged him and he bowed hastily. “T-thank you… ma’am? Though I still don’t really know why I’m here…”

The puma-lady, who seemed like the leader of possibly this building, hummed and nodded to herself. “Yes, I understand. First I must thank you for putting up with the harsh conditions of this planet…” She glanced over to the brunette girl and slightly raised a brow. “Although I do wonder, why didn’t you just summon a gryphon?”

“Too… risky, Madam. Besides, I did not want to frighten him,” admitted Aurelia.

Odd turned to her quizzically. “Gryphon?”

“I believe they exist as folklore to your people: a creature with the head and wings of an eagle, back end of a lion. Otherwise known as griffins,” explained the puma-lady.

Now Odd’s jaw dropped. “We could’ve hitched a ride on a _griffin_?” he cried. “And you made us walk for days instead in an endless cycle of rain and wind?”

“Sorry,” Aurelia simply replied, not making eye contact with him.

Puma-lady sighed and turned heel, taking a step forward. “Anyhow, what matters now is that you are here. Come—let us make haste.” While they followed after her and her two unspeaking companions, who were probably guards, she looked over her shoulder as they walked. “Apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I am Queen Heather and this is Azalea Palace. You may address me as Miss Heather or simply Madam—we do not use the same formalities for royalty as you do on Earth.”

Again Odd found himself in a state of shock. Discreetly he pointed at her and mouthed to Aurelia, _She’s a Queen?!_ To which the brunette merely nodded and looked almost amused under her poker face. Soon they stopped in front of an antique-looking door, to which one of the guards held it open and stepped aside. Queen Heather was first to enter, beckoning the pair to follow suit.

“We shall discuss all that requires to be explained. You are indeed a very important asset to us, Mr Della Robbia.”

Odd gulped. He wasn’t prepared for what he was about to hear. The moment he stepped into the room, the guard closed the door and it echoed with a subtle ‘bang’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odd is stuck on another planet with a scary girl and each day has more questions than answers... Poor guy *pats*  
> I just had the inspiration to continue writing this, so here we are. When would the next chapter come? Who knows, only time will tell :')


End file.
